Levi McConaughey is reflecting on the advice he received from his father, Oscar-winner Matthew McConaughey, ahead of his acting debut.
The 16-year-old, whose parents are Matthew and Camila Alves McConaughey, attended the premiere of "The Rivals of Amziah King" at the SXSW Film Festival in Austin on March 10. While there, Levi gave his first red carpet interview, speaking to People about his role in the coming-of-age film "Way of the Warrior Kid" and his experience preparing for the project.
When asked about stepping into acting, Levi revealed that his father shared valuable guidance to help him navigate his first film experience.
"I mean, he gave me a lot of advice, and he was able to mentor me in a couple different ways," Levi said. "But I'd say the main thing for acting, and pardon my French, is no bulls--- in your bones and own what you're doing and make a choice regardless if that ends up being the right one or the wrong one — commit to it and know what you're saying."
Matthew also opened up about some of the advice he told his son, saying, "It's one, you've got a natural ability. Two, how do we get specific about knowing where you're coming from and where you're going? Best acting for my money is when an actor's caught in action, doing something. Meaning, where were you before, and where are you going after if the camera is rolling the whole time. So you come into the scene, so the scene doesn't feel like a fresh start and a fresh ending."
Matthew added that "the other thing" is to take risks.
"Don't be afraid to make a fool of yourself — I did it plenty of times, and it's a lot easier to go big and come back down to reality than it is to come in under and push it to more energy later," he said.
Although he did not highlight any specific instances or risk-taking, Matthew previously spoke candidly about taking a two-year break from acting to reevaluate his career.
He was catapulted into fame thanks to his roles in a string of rom-coms including "The Wedding Planner," "How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days," "Failure To Launch," "Fool's Gold," and "Ghosts of Girlfriends Past."
And while each film was a massive success, Matthew found it hard to find work outside the genre.
"I've usually zigged when I felt like Hollywood wanted me to zag," he told Interview magazine. "When I had my rom-com years, there was only so much bandwidth I could give to those, and those were some solid hits for me. But I wanted to try some other stuff. Of course, I wasn't getting it, so I had to leave Hollywood for two years."
Looking back, Matthew admitted it was a "scary" decision to make.
"I had long talks with my wife about needing to find a new vocation," he continued, remembering saying, "I think I'm going to teach high school classes. I think I'm going to study to be a conductor. I think I'm going to go be a wildlife guide."
Matthew shared that he wrestled with a "sense of insignificance" as he pursued his new path.
"But I made up my mind that that's what I needed to do, so I wasn't going to pull the parachute and quit the mission I was on," he added. "But it was scary because I didn't know if I was ever going to get out of the desert."
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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